IN 2018, OUR TEAM IDENTIFIED A NOVEL EQUINE PARVOVIRUS, NAMED EQUINE PARVOVIRUS HEPATITIS (EQPV-H). THIS VIRUS IS STRONGLY ASSOCIATED WITH THEILER'S DISEASE, A HIGHLY FATAL SYNDROME OF FULMINANT HEPATITIS IN HORSES. THIS PROJECT WILL WORK ON FURTHER IMPROVING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE EPIDEMIOLOGY AND PATHOGENIC MECHANISMS OF THIS NOVEL EQUINE PARVOVIRUS. THE SPECIFIC SCIENCE OBJECTIVES ARE TO PERFORM EPIDEMIOLOGIC MODELING OF NATURAL EQPV-H INFECTION KINETICS AND TRANSMISSION IN HORSES; TO CHARACTERIZE THE LIVER PATHOGENICITY OF EQPV-H TO FURTHER ESTABLISH ITS CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPROVE DIAGNOSTIC MEASURES; AND TO DETERMINE THE IMMUNOPATHOGENESIS OF EQPV-H. THE COMBINATION OF THIS PROPOSED WORK PROPOSED WILL LEAD TO A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE EPIDEMIOLOGY AND PATHOGENICITY OF EQPV-H, WHICH IS ESSENTIAL TO IMPROVE (I) DIAGNOSTICS OF EQUINE LIVER DISEASE AND (II) MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES, INCLUDING FUTURE VACCINE DEVELOPMENT AND THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION, ALL GEARED TOWARDS CONTROL AND PREVENTION OF DISEASE CAUSED BY EQPV-H IN THE EQUINE POPULATION.